Maritime archaeology is a discipline that is evolving. Although it has suffered from limitations of being a relatively expensive field of study, currently it is developing rapidly in the high-technology area. Numerous projects involving deep-water archaeology are revealing well-preserved finds that have great interest, both to archaeologists and the general public (see Robotic Archaeology on the Deep Ocean Floor). This technology, a product of commercial oil exploration, provides opportunities to investigate sites that have never been touched and that are often extraordinarily well preserved. The challenge here will be to ensure that such sites are properly investigated and that they do not become the regime of commercialism rather than science. Growing issues relate to the management of archaeological sites and the access of the sites to the public, but through this process it is likely that sites will be better regulated and the archaeology better managed. More theoretical studies are expected, with the greatest development expected in the understanding of development of maritime technology. The most significant issue is, in reality, that in the last four decades, a whole new source of archaeological information has become available for study. How, therefore, are we to ensure that this resource is managed in a way that the information is not lost and that society can benefit from this?
See also: Antiquities and Cultural Heritage Legislation; Ethicallssuesand Responsibilities; HistoricalArchae-ology: As a Discipline; Illicit Antiquities; Industrial Archaeology; Robotic Archaeology on the Deep Ocean Floor; Shipsand Seafaring; UnderwaterArchae-ology; World Heritage Sites, Types and Laws.
World History
